The Health Message I will be discussing is the assertion that people should limit

their sugar intake in order to benefit a persons health. The American Heart
Association and World Health Organization both endorse this message, as articles
can be found on their website discussing the impact of sugar on the body and how
much a persons daily intake should be 1.
While not all sugar is bad for you, with some fruits and vegetables containing it,
added sweeteners in processed food are dangerous to a persons cardiovascular
health. Since 1977, the average amount of calories consumed from sugar has
increased significantly in the average Americans diet. The diet of almost 12,000
U.S. adults were studied from 1988-2006, with researchers finding a significant
positive correlation between added sugar intake and cardiovascular mortality 2.
Another article that was used for this research discusses a vast amount of factors
leading to cardiovascular disease from sugar, such as defining types of sugars and
how they impact the bodys functioning. This review discusses recent research that
has continued to support the negative effect of excess sugar intake on body fat and
diseases such as obesity and diabetes, along with cardiovascular mortality. After
conducting a cross sectional study of 2100 teen participants from 1999 to 2004,
researchers found that diets with a higher consumption of added sugars led to more
risk factors for cardiovascular disease3.
A meta-analyses review discussed that one of the biggest factors to heart disease is
ectopic fat, which is fat deposits that are in unordinary places such as around
muscles, leading to serious cardiovascular problems when surrounding the heart.
Through the use of random control trials conducted on mice, researchers have
shown that a high amount of added sugar intake is associated with higher ectopic
fat deposits, which could potentially lead to heart disease 4.
A narrative review discussing the impacts of saturated fat and sugar on coronary
heart disease found that sugar was an increasingly bigger issue than that of
saturated fat. It states that sugar is leads to a rise in LDLs or bad cholesterol,
which is more heavily associated with coronary heart problems 5.
1 "Added Sugars Add to Your Risk of Dying from Heart Disease." Added Sugars Add
to Your Risk of Dying from Heart Disease. American Heart Association, n.d. Web. 29
Feb. 2016AHA.
2 Yang, Quanhe. "Get It!" Get It! JAMA Internal Medicine, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
3 Welsh, Jean. "Consumption of Added Sugars and Indicators of Cardiovascular
Disease Risk Among US Adolescents." Ovid. Ovid, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. CVD
Health and sugar
4 Nutrition Reviews." Penn State Secure Login:. Oxford University Press, 29 Oct.
2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
http://nutritionreviews.oxfordjournals.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/content/74/1/18

As a nurse practitioner, one has to be professional and stern when discussing

serious health issues, but also show a friendly aspect so the patient trusts you. In a
physicians office, you often interact with patients or their guardians, and due to
having the patients medical records, I would be able to view things like weight,
cholesterol, height, and eating habits . I feel like after discussing these things,
reviewing healthier habits that could decrease a patients weight would come to the
forefront.
Andrew: after viewing your charts and seeing you possess risk factors for future
heart problems, I recommend you decrease your sugar intake, especially added
sugars in processed foods.
Patient: I know Im a little overweight but I feel healthy, and I need some sugar
every day to keep me up, I work 2 jobs so I need to stay awake.
A: Well sugar increases the amount of LDLs in your blood, which are often called
bad cholesterol. These LDLs eventually will weaken your heart, and greatly increase
the risk of heart disease, and we dont want that. If youre looking for healthy
alternatives, fruits like apples and grapes have naturally occurring sugars, that coud
give you the sugar you need.

In a large family, you get to see many different situations. My uncle is currently
overweight and knowing my major and classes I take, asked if I had any tips to help
him get healthier. I could always see he needed help due to his weight, but never
wanted to impose.
Uncle: drew Im trying to lose some weight and get a little healthier, would you
mind helping me out or give me some tips?
Andrew: Well I know you like to get those big sodas and even though theyre diet,
they still have tons of sugar, if you cut out all that added sugar and just drink water,
you would be helping yourself a lot.

My roommate drinks a gallon of iced tea every few days. Because he is an

economics major, he doesnt know about the harmful effects all that added sugar is
doing to his body. At this age, the signs or symptoms might not always be visible,
but you could always bring it up in conversation to see how he feels.
Andrew: Listen, I know it doesnt look or feel like its bad now, but if you keep
drinking all that iced tea, youre gonna have problems later in life. Im not trying to
make you feel bad, Im just looking out.

5 DiNicolantonio, JJ. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26586275

Roomate: Yea thanks for being concerned but its not a big deal cause were only
20 and I go to the gym a lot.
Andrew Maenner